One More Time
by fromtumblremeraldshard
Summary: AU where Armin and Annie are childhood sweethearts but Annie has to leave Armin because of reasons he does not know. Will Armin and Annie work things out or will their relationship fall into nothingness?
1. Prologue

Prologue

A blond boy was running as fast as his feet could take him through the darkening forest. The heavy book he's carrying didn't help him in his goal, though.

The sun was setting fast and he's absolutely late with his daily meeting with his crush. Not that he'd tell anyone about it.

He finally reached the clearing and saw the familiar mop of blonde hair and white hoodie sitting silently on the ground, looking at the shimmering lake. He took a minute to admire her before sitting next to the blonde.

"You're late," she said without looking at him.

He shook his head slowly, still trying to catch his breath. "Sorry. Grandpa didn't allow me to go out until I finish all my homework."

She turned to him and asked, "am I being a bother to you?"

"No! ofcourse not, Annie!" He continued to shake his head. "I just had a lot of homework today is all."

"Armin-"

He pulled out the book he was carrying and showed to her with an exaggerated "ta-da!" which made Annie smile.

"My teacher taught us about the world today! She said there are seven continents across the globe! Did you know that, Annie? Oh! And most of the world is covered in water-" Armin continued to ramble on as Annie listened to him intently. He always had different stories to tell her everyday and even though she knows most of it already, she continued to listen.

Annie loved the way his eyes shine when he's telling something to her and how he will continue to ramble on and on and lose track of time. Armin will be flustered for making her stay late and will say sorry but Annie will cut him off with a light peck on his nose and a small smile.

Armin opened his book and pointed at the blue areas of the world and rambled more about how beautiful and amazing the ocean is. He then turned the page to show a picture of an iceberg and told her that there are lots of those in the countries close to the North and South.

"Annie, one day, I will take you to the ocean, to the North and South Pole! I will take you all around the world! You and I." Armin took her small hand in his slightly bigger ones, making Annie flush scarlet but she answered, "I would love that."

His big bright blue eyes shone as he looked at her, a light blush coloring his cheeks. Annie tried hard to hold back tears. How is she supposed to tell him that this will be their last day together without snuffing the bright light in his eyes as he looked at her.

"Armin?" Annie started, her voice low with sadness.

"Hm?"

"What if I won't be here to see you here tomorrow?"

Armin was confused. Why is she telling him this? Did he do something wrong? His mind reeled into the times where he lost track of time and Annie was forced to stay late. Is she finally tired of his stories?

Seemingly reading his thoughts , Annie said; " I-It's not like what you think!"

Armin gazed at her with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

_Oh no. Not those eyes._

Annie fumbled, choked and stuttered through her words. How is she going to tell him? Annie could feel her heart being ripped in half. To be honest, she really didn't want to end their meetings but she has to. She has to because her father is starting to get curious on her whereabouts and if he finds out that she's hanging out with a kid that is not in their league….well, it would be bad.

At first, she's lucky enough that her dad trusts her two almost- brothers Reiner and Bertholdt to watch over her. Annie had no problem talking them into covering up for her when she's going out to meet with Armin. But now, her father had taken matters into his own hands and she's scared that he'll find out about Armin- the boy she's crushing on.

"It's not about you.." Annie managed to say.

Armin nodded slowly, trying to see through Annie's fringe. He knew her long enough to know that she's not telling him everything and he wondered why.

"Don't you trust me, Annie?" He asked her innocently and she gazed at him.

"I trust you," she replied, "but I don't trust some people around me. Do you trust me?"

"Ofcourse!"

"Then believe me when I tell you that you're better off without me." She pulled her hand from Armin's hold and stood up.

Armin scrambled to his feet. _What?_ He didn't understand. _Why am I better off without her?_ Before he could say anything, though, Annie reached down and kissed his nose before running away. Armin tried to follow her but she's too fast. He stumbled on a root and fell face first. Tears brimmed his eyes as he stared at Annie's retreating figure.

_But when will I see you again?_

I do not own any of the characters or SnK :)


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

_Ten Years Later_

Armin groaned at the familiar sound of his alarm clock blaring at exactly 6:30 a.m. He ungraciously felt the table for his clock, head still buried in his pillow at the last attempt to get some sleep. When he found the clock, he pounded his fist into the button and everything went silent. Letting out a final groan, he flipped onto his back and swung his legs from the bed, rolling and landing face-first on the carpeted floor, his hair sticking out in all directions.

He lazily went to the bathroom to get a bath and slumped as the warm water hit his skin. He's usually eager to wake up and get ready for school, but not this time. The only reason he's like this today was his dream. Annie had once again visited him in his dream and he didn't want to wake up. Armin clasped his hands on his face in an attempt to remember his dream, to no avail. All he knew was that it was about Annie.

_Annie._ His former bestfriend. His first and only crush to date. The girl who left him.

He pushed the thoughts away. Now is not the time for that. Armin systematically finished his bath and quickly dressed up for school. Running down the stairs, the smell of pancakes entered his nose.

"Morning, Grandpa." He greeted.

"Morning, Armin," his grandfather waved before placing the pancakes on a platter. "You look like you don't want to go to school."

Armin stopped on his tracks and nervously smiled. "If you mean the eyebags, I slept late last night because I finished Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code." It was a half- lie. He was a fast reader and slept on time. Sophie Neveau reminded him of Annie, strangely. Short, attractive, and smells good, which may have been the reason why he dreamt of her.

"You're not fooling anyone here, young man." Grandpa Arlert chided, setting the plate before him. "Is it about Annie?"

Armin ran his slender fingers through his own mop of blond hair before rubbing his eyes tiredly. _How did grandpa know?_

His grandfather handed him a mirror and Armin looked at his reflection. He looked slightly pale and his hair was a mess, but otherwise, he looked fine. To him, atleast.

"I'll know that look anywhere. Your father had the same look when your mom's away."

"She left me. Annie." Armin blurted out, fists clenching and unclenching. He thought of that day. He was talking about the world and promised her he'll take her places. How is he going to fulfill it when he has no idea where she is now?

"People come and go," his grandfather said gently. "You were just kids."

"I want to see her again. Atleast ask her why she left. Afterall, I deserve an explanation." Armin devoured his pancakes angrily before chugging down his milk. _Why did you leave, Annie?_

The doorbell rang and Armin stood to open and see who it was.

Surprise, surprise, it's his _new_ bestfriend, Eren Jaeger. He was clutching his skateboard, helmet still attached on his head. Sweat soaked his shirt and he was still heaving, but he had a bright smile on his face.

"Armin!"

"Eren!"

"Aaaaaarrrrrrmmmmiiiiiinnnnn!"

"Eeeerrrrreeeeeeeennnn!"

"AHRMIHN!"

"Grandpa."

The boys turned and saw Armin's grandfather smiling mischievously at them. Armin shrugged and let his bestfriend enter the house. Wrinkling his nose, Armin pointed out that Eren smells.

"Smells good?"

"Smells terrible," Armin mumbled.

"Anyways, Armin, I've heard that there will be two transferees in our school! Isn't that great?"

Eren and Armin study at one of the most prestigious schools in Trost- Maria, Rose, Sina Academy or MaRoSi Academy. Eren had no trouble getting in, his father being the highest paid and most excellent doctor in the country. Armin, however, got in because of his Academic Scholarship. Although his Academic records were superb, he's lagging off in the school's mandatory Military Training and Gym.

MaRoSi Academy was formerly the barracks of the soldiers who fought "titans" before turning into a school with high academic and physical expectations from its students.

"I've watched yesterday's news and found out that the princesses of Shiganshina and Stohess are transferring schools! Armin, that could be OUR school! I'm finally going to meet Princess Mikasa, can you believe it?"

Armin couldn't help but chuckle at Eren's eager face. He had this huge crush on the princess of Shiganshina for who knows how long. Armin couldn't blame him, though. Princess Mikasa was really pretty and her battle skills impresses Eren in such way that he would stare for five whole minutes without blinking. As for the princess of Stohess….

"Eren, who is the princess of Stohess?" Armin asked.

"No idea," he admitted, "but I heard she's amazing in hand-to-hand combat and really tiny."

"That's mean, Eren." Armin chided.

After a few more minutes of talking, Armin's grandpa ushered them out of the house or else they will be late for school.

Armin grabbed his bike while Eren held fast to his skateboard and they both rode to their school.

.

Normally, the boys of the academy will be on the football field playing or watching some football game, but today's different. The two boys were quickly overwhelmed by the number of guys blocking the main gate.

"What's going on?" Armin asked out loud.

A freckled boy tapped his shoulder gently. Turning, he saw that it was the school's Fourth year Representative- Marco Bott. Beside him was the Public Information Officer- Jean Kirstein.

Marco had tan skin, bright brown eyes, black hair, and ofcourse, a majestic shower of freckles across his cheeks. Jean had a two-tone brunet undercut, lean build and a look that strangely resembled Eren's.

"Didn't you hear?" Marco started, "two students are transferring here."

"Royalties they are," Jean added.

"Do they happen to be Princess Mikasa and the one from Stohess?" Eren asked eagerly.

A small blush appeared on Jean's face as he nodded slowly. _Looks like someone's got competition._

"Don't tell me you have a crush on her!" Eren yelled at Jean. The two rammed heads and exchanged death glares.

"So what if I do, huh, Jaeger? Whatcha gonna do?"

"Lay off her…" Eren threatened.

Armin was about to hold back his friend when a limousine parked right in front of them

.

Annie kept an expressionless face as their annoyingly long vehicle stopped right in front of two bickering brunets and sighed. _Really? Fighting early in the morning?_

"Sorry about them, your highness," a tall boy with olive green eyes and dark skin- Berthold apologized. "Eren and Jean are just like that."

"How many times do I have to tell you to call me Annie?" the blonde groaned and pressed her back harder onto the seat.

"Sorry, Annie."

A buff blond chuckled from the driver's seat before turning to look at his two childhood friends. His barely there eyebrows and gold eyes glinted mischievously. His wide grin added to the mischief look.

"Well then, Annie, see anyone you like?"

"Shut up, Reiner." Annie glared at the blond.

"Aw comeon," he whined. "You never liked any other guy than the boy you were secretly dating ten years ago!"

"Reiner, stop it!" Berthold chided, giving his bestfriend a hard glare.

"Whatever," Annie muttered before gazing at the scene that was the two brunets.

Reiner had been continuously trying and failing to matchmake Annie to various guys against her and her father's will. Annie would do her best to scare and intimidate the unlucky guy, which proved to be relatively easy. None of them were like Armin. Her father, on the other hand, wanted her to not have anything to do with anyone at all.

Annie shifted her gaze from the fighting duo to the persons surrounding them.

There was this freckled boy calmly holding the taller brunet and there was another one, a blond standing straight and doing nothing but stare at…her. Well, her window since no one could see through the heavily tinted glass. His wide blue eyes shone with curiosity as he tilted his head slightly to the side, brows scrunched in concentration as if trying to figure out who she was. He had a cute nose that Annie only saw in only one person. She sucked in a breath as the familiarity of the blond's features hit her.

_Armin?  
_

_I do not own SnK or any of the characters._


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter two

As Armin was close to seeing the figure beyond the glass, the vehicle roared to life and rushed to the direction of the school's second gate.

"Great, now you scared them away," Marco sighed.

"Maybe they were scared of human horses," Eren snickered.

"Or maybe they were scared of smelly eyebrows!" Jean shouted.

"Guys, cut it out," Armin sighed exasperatedly. This wasn't how he imagined his would go. Furthermore, he was intrigued as to who that person beyond the glass was. He was already quite sure it was a girl with a curved nose.

The bell rang and the four boys rushed to their respective classes.

.

To say that Mikasa was annoyed with all the attention the people around her were giving her was a lie. Frankly, she could care less. She thinks she's better off without all these attention. All she wanted was peace and she had that when the bell rang.

She stepped into the ladies' room to see how she looks like when a small but firm hand grasped her wrist and turned her around. Mikasa threw her fist, narrowly missing the face of her fellow transferee.

Her silky black hair was in contrast with her messy but soft pale blonde hair. "Mikasa." Inky black pools met crystal blues as Mikasa tipped her head slightly downwards to meet the gaze of the blonde. "Annie."

Annie let go of her wrist and leaned on the wall, looking more discombobulated than irritated. Mikasa was irritated, too. Not because Annie popped out of nowhere but because of her ability to hide from people. Therefore, she didn't earn any unwanted attention. It was always Mikasa getting all the attention while Annie lounges in the shadows comfortably, isolating herself and keeping her status of Princess of Stohess hidden.

"I need your help," Annie whispered.

Mikasa cocked an elegant brow and pressed her pink lips into a thin line. During their time training, Annie never asked for help.

As if reading her thoughts, Annie said; "I know, I know. This is so not like me but _please_. I need your help."

"Need help with what?"

Annie held out a black wig from behind her to Mikasa. "Help me put this abomination on."

"Is that all?" Mikasa asked as she took the wig in her hands.

"Uhm, help me put on contacts as well?"

Mikasa nodded and ushered Annie to tie her hair neatly before she put the wig on. Once the hair was done, she gently placed the green contacts on Annie's eyes, hiding her crystal blues and replacing them with grass greens.

Annie inspected herself on the mirror and nodded contentedly. "Thanks."

"Why?" Mikasa asked.

Annie decided to play dumb. "Because you helped me."

"Don't play dumb with me, Annie." Mikasa threatened.

Deciding that it will not be good for her health to anger Mikasa, Annie told her something to pacify her curiosity. "Long story short, I'm afraid a guy from my past would recognize me."

Mikasa found it confusing, at the very least. She had a guy from the past aside from Reiner, Bertholdt, and her father?

"You're _scared_?"

"Not scared scared, just…. If my dad finds out about him, well, things wouldn't turn out well for said guy."

"And you?" Mikasa asked. "What will happen to you?"

Annie tensed for a moment and Mikasa was briefly concerned briefly that she may have crossed a line.

"I know my dad," Annie replied after a while.

Mikasa stayed quiet, thinking Annie was going to say more, but she didn't.

"Whatever floats your nose, Annie."

"Yeah."

There was a knock on the door and a meek voice called, "A-Annie, classes will be starting soon."

Annie stepped out of the ladies' room and Mikasa followed.

Bertholdt bowed low at the sight of Mikasa, but she ushered for him to stand and act naturally. "Lead the way," Annie commanded.

.

Armin tapped his pen against his table in extended anticipation. The new students were quite late for their first class. He thought one of them was here early. _Maybe had some lady stuff to do._

For the third time, Armin scanned the room. Posters littered the dirty yellow walls. A couple was busy making out at the cornermost back seat. Armin internally gagged. Eren is busy copying off from Reiner's homework. Jean is doodling on his notebook and Marco is staring intently at him or his doodles. Connie and Sasha are not-so-subtly throwing potato chips at each other. Mina is humming some pop song. Ymir is snoring while an exasperated Historia is trying to wake her up. Reiner is periodically checking his watch. Bertholdt is still nowhere to be found.

Armin found it quite confusing to see Reiner _without _Bertholdt. Not to mention the two new girls are still missing.

The door cracked open and a shy Bertholdt emerged. He quickly greeted their strict teacher- Mister Keith Shadis, who was probably pondering if he should shout at the boy or just let it go because Bertholdt was a good student of his.

Shadis gave a curt nod and Bertholdt scrambled to his seat next to Reiner. The two exchanged whispers and Reiner snickered, causing Bertholdt lo glare at him.

The door opened once again and entered two black haired ladies. Armin heard Eren take a sharp breath at the sight of the beautiful Princess Mikasa Ackerman. She wsas about the same height as Eren, meaning, she's taller than Armin. Her eyes gazed across the room, slightly lingering at Eren, before turning to her company.

The other black-haired girl was short with a petite frame. She had short hair tied into a messy bun, with some strands falling down her face. Her green eyes scanned the area with pure boredom, as if she'd be better off away from here. Her quite large but beautifully sculpted nose was prominent but Armin found it just right on her face. Like Princess Mikasa, she stood proudly even at her height of approximately five foot. _This must be the Princess of Stohess._

"About time you two arrive," Shadis greeted with a tinge of venom in his voice. He stood up and extended an arm at the direction of the two girls. "Everyone, these are Mikasa Ackerman and Anabelle Leonhart."

Reiner suddenly guffawed, making Bertholdt slap him on instinct. Anabelle gave him a hard glare.

"A-Ana-b-belle," Reiner stuttered in between laughs. "Oh my titans, Annie, you actually let him call you Anabelle!"

Armin raised a brow. _Annie? Her name is Annie?_ He gave the girl another look and noticed the way her eyes seem to flit to him for a fraction of a second before resuming its glare on Reiner. Reiner finally stopped and composed himself. "Sorry."

"The two of you will sit in front of Jaeger and Arlert." Shadis said as if nothing happened.

.

Annie wanted to scream, really, but she held it in. Reiner had totally wrecked her nerves. _Asshole_. Even worse, she has to sit in front of Armin, since Mikasa took the seat in front of Jaeger. Annie's mentally panicking at the moment. At this rate, Armin would see through her disguise. She's heard about him from Reiner and Bertholdt and her heart swelled with pride. _This was the guy I met everyday ten years ago. The guy who I eventually left behind. _Annie knew back then that Armin would hate her, but the hopeful side of her wished that he will understand and forgive her.

Annie reluctantly sat in front of Armin. He gave her an adorable smile and she felt herself blush against her will. _Oh god, I missed that smile._

"Hi Annie," he said her name as if asking if Annie was her real name, "I'm Ar-"

"Armin Arlert." Annie finished, which threw Armin to confusion. _How did she-?_

Reiner and Bertholdt told me about you." _I know you personally, too._

"Oh. Can I actually call you Annie? It's just that your name reminds me of someone special, your highness."

Annie nodded and turned her back to him.

As the lesson proceeded, Annie hid her face behind her false fringe. _I was special to him. _Annie could live with that. A strong kick on her leg broke her from her reverie and Annie glared at Mikasa, who threw a ball of paper right at her face. _Bitch._

Annie opened the paper and Mikasa's elegant handwriting greeted her.

_Flirting this early, Anabelle?_

She quickly scribbled her reply. _Says the one who kept on staring at Jaeger. _She gave it the same way Mikasa gave it to her. Mikasa's cheeks turned pink and Annie smirked.

.

The bell rang, indicating the end of class. Armin packed his things and was about to his bestfriend but stopped, seeing that he was having a conversation with Princess Mikasa. Eren saw him, though, and he ushered for Armin to come closer. Armin walked to them with a shy smile and introduced himself.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Armin." Princess Mikasa said, lips twitching to reveal a ghost of a mischievous smile. "You seem to be enjoying Anabelle's company a while ago."

"She's very interesting," Armin replied, "I wonder how no one knew of her, despite her being a princess?"

"She has her ways," Mikasa said darkly. She turned her head and nodded at the leaving trio that was Annie, Reiner and Bertholdt. Reiner was still laughing but managed to bow at Mikasa, following Bertholdt's lead. Armin looked at them too, briefly thinking if Reiner and Bertholdt had something to do with her secrecy.

"So, wanna have lunch with us?" Eren asked shyly.

Mikasa nodded and Eren lead the way to the messhall.

.

"Can't my dad send you to a school with a decent food in the cafeteria?" Annie muttered at the sloppy mess that was Reiner and Bertholdt's lunch. "One of the most prestigious schools but has a lunch deserving to be called a cardboard." Annie pushed her packed lunch towards the two taller boys. "Here, have mine."

"Annie, no!" Bertholdt pushed her lunch back towards her. "We're fine, really."

"Bertl's right, Annie." Reiner added. "You don't have to worry about us."

"Who says I'm worried? I'm just saving you from that hell of a lunch."

The two smiled knowingly and finally accepted Annie's lunch. Annie scanned the area, a habit she developed from her numerous trips to hunt in the forest that was their property. Her father had hammered these into her head to "help" her whenever she's surrounded by "bad people". Her eyes landed on the laughing trio that was Mikasa, Jaeger and Armin. She couldn't help but feel…jealous, but she pushed it all in. The farther from her Armin is, the better.

"Bwu owhkeh, Hani?" Reiner asked with his mouth still full.

"I'm okay." Annie replied curtly.

I do not own SnK or any of the characters.


	4. Announcement and A Bonus: Please read

_**Hullo Hullo Hullo guys! **____** Sorry this is not a new chapter. The third Chapter is made, actually, its just that I forgot to bring it home with me and I ugh. Okay, So I was planning on uploading it two or three days from now (If everything goes well and if we don't have stressful homeworks) and that is a promise. Also, I just finished reading my discontinued fic and thought of redoing it. Probably give it a darker side but maintaining the original ships present and the comedy and quite possibly make it longer. So yeah, tell me guys if you want me to redo the aforementioned fic. See my profile for the link of Shingeki no Fairytale.**_

_**Also, I wanna say thanks to the reviewers XD. You guys made my day!**_

**tentsubasa**_: ei! I saw your comment on Shingeki no Fairytale and I couldn't help laughing. And yeah, I really think of Annie as a secretly affectionate person and to be honest, I have no idea how I would play Armin's strings on this one since I wanted to make them as canonly possible as I could. Thank you, by the way, for taking time to review my story! _

**No Name Anime Fan**_: Im really happy you liked the fic and I hope my earlier announcements appeased you (and got you anticipating, lol)_

**Some Random Guy**_: yes, I'll definitely write more._

_**As for now, I hope you like this little something I came up with.**_

**(Happened in Shingeki no Fairytale Universe)**

Armin woke up to heavy footsteps running across the hall. He knew for a fact that this is not to be unexpected, given the fact that he's staying in a castle whose inhabitants are titans. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and got up from the luxurious bed offered by castle, following the heavy footsteps.

"Who could possibly get up at the middle of the night and run around in heavy footsteps and expect no one to be disturbed?" Armin thought blearily, sleep still heavy in his eyes.

He turned a corner and saw the large form of Annie hunched over something, before standing up and running to a couple of shelves, grabbing…. Armin squinted his eyes and saw that the both of them were in the huge library and Annie was busy gathering books. "Why would Annie do this in the middle of the night?" Armin felt like asking, but upon seeing Annie's extremely focused expression, he stayed quiet and hidden at the corner. "What could possibly get her all worked up?"

After quite a while, Armin got tired of standing at sat down quietly, Annie's heavy footsteps drowning whatever sound could be produced.

.

Annie was frantic. It wasn't like her to act like this. No, not at all. She wasn't supposed to care. But when Reiner and Bertholdt told her that Armin's birthday is coming up, a vein snapped and she was jarred into action. The thought of atleast giving him something in compensation to his dealing with them occurred to her. "Really, who would want to deal with two lovesick titans and a severely proud and apathetic titan? And besides…" Annie's thoughts drifted into that one time when she finally told him how she got the curse. She left some details, though. Only telling him that she was bad and she was punished. Simple as karma.

It was a gloomy day. Clouds fell heavy across the sky, foretelling rain. They sat on the huge veranda with Annie looking up the sky impassively, not showing any signs of what she felt inside. She was so tired. Tired of being an eyesore. Tired of being large. Tired of being alone. Reiner and Bertholdt were there, yes, but they have their own problems to deal with. She was more or less left in her thoughts. Wallowing in boredom and inactivity. For some reason, Armin saw through her mask and smiled softly at her.

"You're still beautiful," he said with a warm smile that made Annie blush. "Annie." He said her name like it was fragile and delicate. Something that needs utter precaution when holding.

Annie forgot what happened next. All she knew was that she felt happy and for once in her life, special. Special to someone. And for that reason, she is busy in the library searching for books he might take a liking to. She knew he was fond of books and he may like whatever book presented to him but she was meticulous. She wanted to make sure that what she will give will make him really happy. Annie knew he loved travelling, so she was collecting all books related to travel and interesting places, including breathtaking oceans. She didn't notice him smile lovingly and retreated to get some more sleep.

.

Today is the day. Armin's birthday. For a birthday celebrant, he didn't look too excited that he will be turning another year older. Armin was a quiet person and he was still figuring out Annie's actions last night while reading a book a book about history.

Annie swallowed subtly and gripped the wrapped book harder in her hands. A thousand thoughts kept swimming in her head but she pushed it all out of her head as she unceremoniously thrust the book near his confused and slightly amused face.

"Happy Birthday…" Annie whispered. Shit, she was supposed to say it out loud and happily but the nervousness made her whisper and dip her head low.

Armin took the wrapped package and slowly opened it. He never thought Annie would know, since he didn't say it to her directly. He told it to Reiner and Bertholdt because they were genuinely curious. A smile crept its way to his face at the sight of an obviously flushing titan Annie. She thought of him.

It was a heavy book, filled with pictures, tales, and descriptions of various places around the world. "So this was the reason why she was out late in the library…." His insides warmed at the fact that Annie made an effort to turn the library upside down to give him this book. "Thank you, Annie." He said as he pulled her close and hugged her, giving her a chaste kiss in the process. She was beautiful and he hoped she didn't mind the kiss he gave her. She was beautiful and Armin wanted to stay and keep her forever.

.

"WHAT HAPPENED IN HERE?!" Reiner screamed at the top of his lungs at the sight of the library with all the books thrown on the ground in a massive clutter of leather and paper.


	5. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Focus, Annie!" Annie's father hollered from the view deck of their dojo with Reiner and Bertholdt standing stiffly behind him.

Annie gave the dummy one final kick and the dummy gave away at the impact. Yet, her father shook his head in disappointment and walked away, leaving Reiner and Bertholdt. The rest of her father's colleagues stared at her apprehensively before following the King of Stohess.

Annie had to admit her performance today was poor and she wouldn't blame her father if he will ignore her for the rest of the day. She slumped in a corner and hugged her knees close to her chest, not able to hold back the tears that flowed down her pale cheeks as she sobbed in frustration. It has always been this way for twelve years- since her mother died. Annie had done everything to please her father and yet, she always felt that there was something missing. Something wrong. She thought if she could please her father, the feeling would go away, but no. She sobbed harder.

Reiner and Bertholdt rushed to her side and patted her back gently. Stretching her arms out to the two, a gesture the two taller men knew by heart, Reiner hefted her onto Bertholdt's broad shoulders.

"Where to, my lady?" Bertholdt asked happily. It has been a while since Annie asked to be carried and he was happy to do this again. Ever since the Queen died, Annie never asked to be carried anymore. Bertholdt remembered how happy she looked when they pushed her higher into the air so she could reach some braches of trees.

"Lake," Annie said, wiping the tears off of her face.

.

Armin was casually taking a walk to his and Annie's usual meeting spot- a dense forest not so far from the castle grounds. It actually confused him that there were and still are no guards guarding the territory, seeing that it is close and probably part of the royal land. Another thing that confused him was the reason why Annie always insisted on being here. It's like she never wanted to be anywhere else other than here. Armin could quite understand. The forest was beautiful and serene and it housed a rather big lake that shimmered under the sun. Magnolias and Chestnuts were abundant and he remembered trying to make a hole on the gigantic redwood so they could stay there when it rains, to no avail. He was too weak and Annie simply watched him at those times, not stopping and not cheering him at all. It's like she was amused by simply his actions, or his effort to bore a hole on the tree, he never knew. But everytime he grew tired, she would come up to him and lean her head onto his shoulder.

He laid down the book he was reading and plopped down onto his butt. He gazed at the blue lake before him and sighed. Armin didn't exactly know what brought him here but he made no move to leave. The place gave him so many memories and he cracked a small smile. Armin shifted his line of sight and saw approaching figures that strangely resembled Reiner and Bertholdt. It looked like someone was perched on the latter's shoulders and Armin could be more confused. He figured he should ask, but he didn't. Instead, he stealthily walked to their direction, not noticing a lone twig that traitorously snapped under his foot.

Bertholdt tensed at the sound but Reiner turned and hollered; "Who goes there?!" looking around frantically for a sign of another human being.

"Bullshit," Annie cursed mentally. She's dead tired and this happens? She angrily extricated herself from Bertholdt and tailed the buff blond who was searching amongst the bushes.

Armin's head was pounding. _So it really is the property of the nearby kingdom!_ He thought of the list of nearby kingdoms and figured it could be the Kingdom of Shiganshina, the Kingdom of Trost, Kingdom of Hermina, or the Kingdom of Stohess. The Kingdoms were relatively small and most usually packed. The Kingdoms Shiganshina, Trost, and Hermina were closest to each other, taking up the lower, middle, and upper South area respectively. Stohess was to Hermina's right and although it was in the upper area, it's still close enough from his home in Trost.

"Don't worry, Annie, I got this. We'll catch the intruder, get him away from here and then you could finally have your peace." Reiner said to Annie who looked genuinely pissed at the moment. Reiner knew that look could send him to the Intensive Care Unit if he wasn't careful.

Armin's ears perked up at the mention of Annie, remembering the new student at school. Anabelle Leonhart, the Princess of Stohess. _Oh. So this is a property of Stohess._ He remembered she went with Reiner and Bertholdt, but even if it should be natural that the three of them are here, something inside him tells him something is off and he doesn't know what or why.

"Boo!"

Armin jumped and landed painfully on his butt. He opened an eye and saw Reiner looking both amused and confused, mostly amused. "Well, well, what brings our resident smarty-pants here?" Reiner extended a hand and Armin took it gratefully, letting the bigger blond haul him onto his feet. Armin brushed off whatever dirt that had stuck to him.

"Armin?" Bertholdt asked as he slowly approached him. "What are you doing here?"

"I – uh," Armin couldn't fight off the blush that had taken residence on his cheeks as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously. _They probably think I'm a creep or something._

Reiner grinned and looked around as if searching for someone who was supposed to be there but wasn't. "Huh, where's Annie?"

.

Annie pressed her back against a tree and placed a hand over her chest, trying to control the rapid beating of her heart against its cage. _That was close. _If she hadn't seen the mop of blond hair first, she could have been seen without her wig and contacts by Armin. _That would be bad. _She should have thought twice before going there. Then again, she never thought Armin would come back to this place. "All I wanted was peace," she murmured quietly. What just happened didn't help her at all. _What the fuck is wrong with these people? First, Mikasa bugged me into telling how I thought of Armin, not that I answered her, then my father decided to give me a particularly hard time training right at mom's death anniversary, then _this. _Titans, couldn't they give me a break?! _She let her eyes wander at the distant lake and gazed longingly. She closed her eyes and muttered a silent prayer to her mom before running back to the castle.

.

"So you were like siblings?" Armin asked as he followed the two taller boys to a shabby-looking tree house perched on a large chestnut tree. It looked rickety and Armin doubted it could support the big guy's weight. True enough, the moment Reiner placed his enormous foot on the floorboards, it gave way and he fell hard on his back.

To be honest, Armin had no idea why he was being dragged along by the two. _Shouldn't they be leading me out of here instead of giving me a tour to their childhood play places?_ All he said was 'the place brought him so many memories that's why he was here' when they lightly interrogated him. _They're guards, after all._ Then Reiner went teary-eyed and decided to share their share of memories of the place.

Bertholdt screeched and ran to his friend, Armin awkwardly trailing behind, opting to scan the tree house instead. It was obviously old and had a haunting feel to it because of the tall trees that surrounds it. He wondered how long it was standing there. Five..ten years? Whatever, it probably looked better in their childhood days that it does now. A large gaping hole covered by a curtain of wooden trinkets at the center told Armin that it might have been the entrance to the house. Two more holes were at the either side of the large hole. _Windows._ Overall, it looked out of proportion and quite ready for decomposition. He smiled at the picture of two, maybe three, if Annie joined them in playing, children making careless fun in his idea of how the old tree house looked back then. It was heartwarming.

A loud wail pierced the air and Armin snapped his head to see Reiner clutching piece of the broken wood, teary-eyed and crying with a might of a lion. Bertholdt looked teary-eyed, too, helplessly looking at the broken house then back at his friend. Armin was torn between comforting them and walking away.

.

"Hey, Annie, where have you been?" Reiner called as he saw the blonde walking down the grand staircase wearing her favorite white hoodie, denim three-fourths and a pair of grey-and-brown top siders. For a royalty, she dressed rather simply. She could pass as a normal citizen when she goes into the crowd anytime she wished, but she doesn't. She preferred staying here in the castle and made no effort to socialize with other people.

"We saw Armin!" he continued when Annie didn't respond. You shouldn't've left. It was just him, though. Said the place gave him so much memories."

Annie stiffened slightly but continued down the stairs. _It's because the place was our meeting place. _She was actually surprised that Armin remembered and still went. She sort of thought that when she ever-so-rudely left him, he would be mad and forget her for good. Annie didn't know if she should be glad for that or not. Letting out a grunt, which was the only thing she could do at their question, was the indication to leave her alone. It works, most of the time, but obviously not this time.

"To be honest," Reiner mused, "I kind of remembered that kid you used to hang out with all those years ago. You guys meet at the forest, yeah?"

"Reiner!" Bertholdt was quick to chide his friend when he saw Annie clench her fists tightly and gave Reiner a hard glare. "Not now, Reiner, the coast is not particularly clear for those matters, don't you think?" Annie whispered with a touch of venom in her voice. She looked around and grabbed the two boys' arms, dragging them to the ballroom, which was the closest from where they were.

She shoved the two in and closed the doors harshly.

"Okay. That's it! You are spilling stuff to us, young lady!" Reiner hollered when he fell on his butt.

"It was Armin." Annie said, crossing her arms over her chest, looking at the other direction in hopes of concealing her blush.

"No shit, Annie. I just to-" Bertholdt cut him off with a loud gasp. Unlike Reiner, Bertholdt actually thinks and is the more collected one.

"What?!"

Ignoring Reiner, Bertholdt moved closer to the still blushing Annie, "so that's why you always look interested when we were talking about him!"

Annie lowered her head and hid her face in her fringe. Throughout the years, Reiner and Bertholdt were curious as to who that guy she was meeting up with. Annie thought they had already lost interest since she never told them anything ever since. Until now.

"It was him, alright?!" she half-shouted.

"Holy shit, Annie, I never thought-" Reiner was again cut off by Bertholdt.

"Language, Reiner."

"Well, congratu-fucking-lations you just met my childhood crush."

"Language, Annie."

"Damn, just…damn, Annie. I thought you'd go for muscled guys."

"Language," Bertholdt sighed exasperatedly.

"Just because I hang out with hella muscled guys like you and Bertl doesn't mean I wouldn't like a not-so-muscled guy!"

At this point, Bertholdt was ready to tie the two's tongues and shove each to their respective mouths. But he chose to ask Annie instead. "Do you still like him, Annie?"

Annie stitched her mouth shut at the question. The answer was painstakingly obvious. Of course she does! But will she ever admit it? She doesn't want him involved in her mess. It's not easy being royalty and being the daughter of the King of Stohess made it five times harder. Usually, the monarchs wouldn't care if their child is strong, so long as they could run the kingdom, everything is good. Leave the fighting to the guards. But to her father, it is not. Strength is everything. Strength will make everyone bow down to you. Annie always thought otherwise. She was never a fan of her father's beliefs, but that doesn't stop her from obeying his orders.

"I-" Annie started but was immediately cut off.

"Hahahaha! You definitely do! I knew it!" Reiner laughed heartily.

"So what if I still do?" Annie mumbled, a fierce blush coloring her cheeks.

**Hullo! Hullo guys! So this is the third chapter! Phew! I actually had a hard time finishing this one and there were a lot of things that I amended before I could publish this one. But anyways, this is the longest chapter I have made so I hope it's worth the wait. Hope you enjoy!**

**I don't own SnK or any of the characters.**


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